Friday 7 December 2007

My School Life 1951 to 1955 by Ann Salt

My thanks to Ann Salt, pupil number 248 who kindly made a few notes about her school life at Bateman. She was one of the first girls at the school when it opened on 11th of September 1951. Here is her note : BATEMAN GIRLS SECONDARY MODERN SCHOOL - It opened in September 1951. There were eight classrooms, two for each year, 1A, 1P, 2A, 2P and so on to 4A, and 4P. There was a cookery room, an art room and a science room. Music and P.E was taken in the assembley room (Now the Library). Netball, hockey and later on tennis was on the top playground. There were two playgrounds, one by the dinner hall (now staff car park) for the first and second year pupils and the other two years played on the top yard.
Most of the teachers were straight out of college, but there was one named Miss Davies, who had taught my dad and he left school in 1926, she was a demon.
Miss Latham was the headmistrees, she was a lovely lady, but sadly she died just after I left.
We could not go into school in our outdoor shoes, we had to change into houseshoes in the cloakroom. Miss Latham was very strict about this as everything in the school was new.
I remember Miss Latham coming into every class in February 1952 to tell us that the King had died. In May 1953 most of the school went to London by train to see the coronation decorations. Biddulph station was opened up for us (That was quite an event). Everyone on the route came out to wave to us as there hadn't beem a train on that track for years.
It was a very happy school and I really was sorry when I had to leave in 1955.

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